Improvement in indexes



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HENRY H. 4HALL, OF BOSTON, MASSCIIUSE'I"IS. Letters Patent No. 83,878,dated October` 27, 1868.

nviPRovnMnNT IN INDEXES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY H. HALL, ofBoston, in

the colmty of Suffolk, and State ofMassachusetts, have invented animproved Index or Tabular Guide for Indexes, of which the following isafullhclear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which isillustrated one method of arranging my said index or tabular guide. Y

My invention has for its object to provide a ready means of indicatingthe location of anygiven name among any indefinite number of names,which shall serve as al guide to any name of a person; or an article in'a catalogue, or an index of itself to any place, book, or article in alibrary or collection of articles, and also to places on maps, 85o.; andmy invention consists in a table composed of spaces for the receptionofletters of the alphabet, and for numerals, the spaces being arrangedin rows, and each space in one row containing a letter and aiigure forits exponent, the value of denomination of the -igure being diiierentfrom that attached to the same" letter in the adjacent rows, in order toavoid any undesirable repetition of a particular combination of letters,the said liigures, when combined together, producing the whole oraggregate number corresponding to the name orrequisiteportion of namewhose location is to be indicated. 4

To enable others skilled -in the art to understand and` use myinvention, I will proceed to describe the man.

ner in which I have cairied it out.

In the said drawings is represented a sheet of card or Bristol-board,ruled into a number of vertical and horizontal rows, the number ofspaces in'each row corresponding to the number of letters and charactersinthe alphabet, the spaces in the upper horizontal row, and those in theleft-hand vertical letter-row being occupied by theletters commencingwith A, and alphabetically arranged therein, while each otherIhorizontal and vertical letter-'row contains all of the letters of thealphabet in their proper order, and the character 8L, but does notcommence with A. Each space, beside containing the letter, also containsone of the numerals, which serves as an exponent to denote the valueofthe letter.

To nd the several gures which, when combined, constitute the whole oraggregate number necessary to indicate any given name, we look fortherstletterI of the Christian or surname of the person, or name ofthe placeor thing, in the rst or left-hand vertical lettercolumn, and the guredenoting its value, which we may (instead of carrying it in the mind,)write in pencil within a blank space set apart to the right, andintended as an erasive tablet. We then, in the same horizontal line asthat of the rst letter found, look up the other letters in succession,and note down the iigures corresponding thereto to the right of thefigure representing the rst letter found. The combination of numbers, orwhole number, .thus found, will indicate the location oi' such namein abook numbered on successive pages to receive the names of persons,places, or things.

To find the location in an index of the name J. B. Robb, we look for theletter J in the left-handvertical letter-column, and iind for itsexponent the figure 2; then finding the letter B in the samehorizontalrow, we see that it is represented by the figure 2; next we ndthe iigure 9 against the letter R, and the iigure 6 against the letterO, and the iigure 2 against the letter B, these ve iigmes making thenumber 22,962, which indicates the location of the name or number(22,962) belonging to it in the index-book previously numbered.

The tabular guide may also be used independently of any index orcatalogue, and may of itself (without a catalogue or register) serve thepurpose of a correct in dex for libraries, museums, and cabinets, Wherebooks and various other alticles are deposited.-

Each book or article bearing a numberfand being placed, in its numericalorder, upon shelveswhich are divided into sections, the book or articlebeing readily found in its place, as soon as the number correspondingthereto is ascertained, by the combination of the several figuresforming the exponents of the initials or first letters of its title. Forinstance, we Wish to find a volume entitled History of England; we lookin the left-hand vertical line for H, and then for I, S, E, and N, onthe same' horizontal row, and we nd the number of the book is 92,377,which, when its location on one of the shelves is found, contains thebook indicated.

It is evident that it will rarely be possible for two names of differentpersons, places, or things, to be represented by the same combination ofletters, but such occurrence would not in'any way be objectionable, asthe duplicate would be in contiguous but distinct locations. l

Besides its application tothe purposes above enumerated, my inventionWill be of great assistance in the compilation of census-records, andmay be employed for various other similar uses, without departing 'omthe spirit of myinvention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isl The within-described index or tabular guide to indexes, consistingofthe combination of letters and iigures, substantially as and for the.purposes set forth.

HENRY H. HALL.

Witnesses:

N. W. STnARNs, W. J. CAMBRIDGE.

